[ #7 Hampstead Writers Series ]
The Good Companions
The Good Companions is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure.
The book was an instant hit on publication but was not particularly well regarded by critics. Nevertheless it remained popular for more than forty years. It then fell out of favour, not only because the novel was written from a (rather old-fashioned) middle-class perspective but also because it dealt with a phenomenon (a travelling music hall troupe that no longer existed.
It won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was adapted twice into film.
More recently there has been a reappraisal of this and other Priestley works: a new edition of The Good Companions appeared in October 2007 with a foreword by Dame Judi Dench, accompanying a reappraisal of the various versions by Ronald Harwood, André Previn and Alan Plater amongst others.
About the Author
John Boynton Priestley (13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in The Good Companions (1929), which first brought him to wide public notice. Many of his plays are structured around a time slip, and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that link past, present and future.
Priestley had a deep love for classical music, especially chamber music. This love is reflected in a number of Priestley's works, notably his own favourite novel, Bright Day (Heinemann, 1946). His book Trumpets Over the Sea is subtitled "a rambling and egotistical account of the London Symphony Orchestra's engagement at Daytona Beach, Florida, in July–August 1967".
In 1941 he played an important part in organising and supporting a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which was struggling to establish itself as a self-governing body after the withdrawal of Sir Thomas Beecham.
Priestley snubbed the chance to become a life peer in 1965 and also declined appointment as a Companion of Honour in 1969. But he did become a member of the Order of Merit in 1977. He also served as a British delegate to UNESCO conferences.
J. B. Priestley in Hampstead
In 1921 John had married Emily ‘Pat’ Tempest, a Bradford librarian. They had two daughters Barbara and Sylvia. Pat died of cancer in 1925 and in 1926 he married for a second time. Jane Wyndham-Lewis was the ex-wife of a journalist and she and John had two more daughters and one son. While John was writing The Good Companions, Jane was searching for a London base for the family. Hugh Walpole had asked John whether he might consider ‘moving nearer to him In Hampstead’ and in due course ‘they found a house … they thought would be suitable: 27 Well Walk’.
In the 1930s John’s career took a new direction. He began writing plays, and the social climate of the time made him aware of the inequalities in English society. In English Journey he described his view of the state of the nation in the aftermath of the First World War. During the Second World War, in his BBC broadcasts ‘Postscripts’, he adopted a more elegiac tone, describing to his listeners the ‘beauty of the English landscape, the little ships at Dunkirk and a steaming pie in a shop window defying the bombers. But he also called for social change, and this resulted in the talks being abruptly taken off air.
In the 1950s he became increasingly politically disillusioned. He was particularly unhappy about Britain’s development of its own hydrogen bombs and became vice-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
About the Cache
In honor of J. B. Priestley’s work and the period in which the writer lived in Hampstead, we have placed this cache to draw the attention of geocachers to this moment in British literary history.
You start your journey in front of former Priestley’s family house, on 27 Well Walk.
To crack this puzzle you will need to answer the following questions in the published coordinates:
- Before being Well Walk, this road had another name. This name can still be found in different parts of the Well Walk, whether on brick walls or house signs. The number of letters in the second word of Well Walk's old name = A.
- In the house to the left of the one where Priestley lived, there is a silver sign on the pillar of the entrance gate. The third number of the telephone number on this sign = B. The fourth number of the telephone number on this sign = F.
- On the wall of the house, the THHS heritage plaque says that Priestley lived there between 19XY - 1932. Y - X = C
- The same plaque also says he was born in 189D.
- On the window glass below the THHS heritage plaque (only in a single window), how many stars can you see? The answer is = E.
The final location where the cache is located is:
N51 33.ABC W000 10.DEF
Check sum for all the digits in the final coordinates = 36.
After solving the puzzle, you’ll be looking for a magnetic micro cache.
About Hampstead_Twins
We are Hampstead locals and have recently discovered GeoCaching activity. As we are delighted with the place where we live and with the stories we find in every corner of this locality, we decided to share some curious facts about our neighbourhood and encourage GeoCaching activity in the region. We hope you enjoy.
If you found any errors, had any ideas for improvement while doing the route or even just want to talk with us and encourage more caches like this one, feel free to send us a message. We will respond to everyone as soon as possible. Let’s get in touch.
What’s Next?
This cache is the seventh in a series of seven, known as the Hampstead Writers Series. The series is a tribute to the periods of time that famous writers (British or not) lived and contributed with the Hampstead community.
#1 George Orwell - Animal Farm
#2 Julia Donaldson - Stick Man
#3 Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
#4 Agatha Christie - The Mousetrap
#5 H. G. Wells - Floor Games
#6 D. H. Lawrence - The Rainbow
#7 J. B. Priestley - The Good Companions
So, how about trying to find another cache in the heart of Hampstead? Search for any other cache from this series and have fun!